The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-04-09

spect unusual.
Let me find an illustration else
where. It 50 chances, as a politi
cal economist, l am a free-trader in
q protectionist country. Does any
one, therefore, suppose that, be.
cause l am a free-trader, l would
to-day make free trade the rule in
the United States? So doing, had
l the power, would be an act o1
folly. For years the country has
been accustomed to other condi-
tions, and it will take years before
those conditions can be radically
changed. The process of change
to be healthy must always be slow.
Revolutions are necessarily destuc-
tive. So it is with the railroad sys.
tenn. The whole business interests
of the country as they to-day exist
have been developed by it. Those
buiness interests represent facts.
To radically and violently and sud-
denly change these facts, either by
law of congress or by an act of a
railroad president, would lead to
incalculable mischief and disaster,
public and private. If, therefore,
holding myself to be a species OF
crusader bound to remedy all the
ills that railroads flesh is heir to, l
had assumed that the Union Pa
cific had been put in my hands to
experiment with, and had immedi-
ateiy gone to work to remedy out
of hand every railroad abuse
came across, what would have been
the result? l should simply have
shown that l was unfit to remedy
any abuse. Time is the great healer.
therefore frankly say that to-day
and every day since l have been
president of railroad company, |
have gone on, and gone on from
necessity. seeing those abuses | had
denounced practiced under me,
and yet powerless to heal them,
except slowly, and acting in con-
cert with others. l do not believe
the Augean stables were cleaned in
day, and | am no Hercules either.
THE THREE GREAT FEATURES.
But leaving all this. and coming
down to immediate questions con-
nected with the interstate com
mcrce bill, there are three features
of that bill which excite special
comment. These are. first, what is
known as the long and the short
haul; secoud, the prohibition of all
rebates, drawbacks and secret ar
rangements with shippers; third
the prohibition Ofpooling. | think
may say that, as railroad COM
missioner. I was almost the father
of what is known as the long and
short haul clause. l have always
maintained that the uncontrolled
competition of railroads was a
great evil. 1t had the necessary
tendency of concentrating business
at given points and in a few hands.
The geographical point which did
not have the advantage OF railroad
competition could not hold its
own against the point which did
have that advantage. So, also, the
man who controlled a large busi-
ness. The traffic of the large ship
per would always be sought for on
terms more advantageous than the
smaller shipper could command.
AS a commissioner l always main
tanned that this was wrong; as a
railroad president l maintain it is
wrong to-day. Therefore l am by
no means prepared to admit that
the interstate bill is likely to pro-
duce any serious or injurious re,
suits, when it says that no railroad
company shall charge more for
longer haul than it does for a
shorter haul, which is included in
the longer haul under conditions
substantially the same. | want to
see this provision of the act brought
into practical operation. l am not
afraid of it. 1t is substantially
lust, and where a thing is substan-
TALLY just it is right, and when it is
right it should be law. But 1t is
unnecessary to say that the whole
question will come up for decision
on the scope to be given to those
five words, "under conditions sub
stantiaIly the same" In them
there is much labor cut out for the
commission, and they are big with
litigation for the courts and Tees
for the lawyers.
As respects the next debated pro-
vision, that prohibiting rebates
drawbacks and secret arrangements,
I do not hesitate to put myself on
record as saying that this is right
and should be law, and if it has
not been law before, am glad II
is now. No one has suffered more
than the railroads themselves from
this system of rebates and draw
backs and secret arrangements
It has been a crying wrong. II
should have been remedied years
ago. 1t is well that it is about tc
be remedied now.